Roasted Garlic Problems

[Chino]

Hello,
For a while now I have been trying to make Roasted Garlic. I am a real garlic lover and it sounds so good. I have followed several recipes. Most are almost identical. Cut the head off, drizzle olive oil onto the top and bake. I have baked them at 425 for 45 min and at 450 for 30 min. I also have tried 350 for 60 min, 45 min, and 30 min. All I ever get is an oily, papery, mushy mess. The garlic tastes kind of bitter too. Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong?
Thank you!

 

[college_cook]

if it tastes bitter then I think it's been cooked for too long. I can't help with your mushy-ness, though I am sure someone around here can.

 

[Andy M.]

300-350F for no more than an hour should do the trick. Your prep is fine. Wrap the cut and oiled garlic in foil and roast.

When it's done, the cloves should be soft. Squeeze the whole bulb and the garlic meat will squirt out for collection.

You can also roast separated cloves on a cookie sheet. That will go a lot faster than doing the whole bulb.

 

[Chino]

Thanks for the input. I'll try what you suggest.

 

[kyles]

This is my big tip, cook them in a covered casserole dish, you can even get proper terracotta garlic bakers, in the mediterranean they always use them. The garlic, even with the paper covering still attached, needs a bit more protection. I'm sure the foil would work too - so if you can, try both!

 

[jennyema]

If the garlic is bitter, it might be old.

The sprouts (green things in the middle) taste bad and should be removed before using the garlic.

Unfortunately, that's impossible when you roast garlic the traditional way.

 

[ironchef]

You might be using too much oil as well. You just need very little to coat. Don't do it Emerill Lagasse style.

 

[mitch_the_chef]

Here's an idea.

Okay this is my suggestion. Keep trying to make roasted garlic but if ever you make a little mistake, peel the skin off, and throw them in some mashed potatoes. These are amazing but make sure you use butter, potatos, salt, the garlic, and a little bit of milk. I learned this in cooking class and it was amazing. Also the little mistakes wont show as much but the strong flavor of the roasted garlic sure will.